Unfortunately, when I went to the grocery store this week - I forgot to buy the beloved cinnamon rolls (I blame pregnancy brain), and thus, I'm given horrified stares the night before.
It's not that I have a problem with making cinnamon rolls from scratch - I actually prefer them that way.
It's the fact that i refuse to wake up at 5am to have them ready for breakfast.
Maybe later in the pregnancy when my insomnia kicks in, but not at this point - no siree.
So while contemplating a good substitute (and believe me, I have a plethora of cinnamon roll substitutes), I decided to browse Pinterest this morning while watching cartoons with my daughter. And low and behold, I came across a Southern classic that I have yet to grace my family with.
Beignets.
Deep-fried, sugar-covered, French donuts.
They're better than donuts in my opinion, especially when I saturate them with powdered sugar and chocolate sauce. Oh. My. Gosh.
Now don't get me wrong here, I am not a fan of any kind of deep-fried food.
I know, I know. You gasp and wail in the shame of the Southerner that I am - believe me, my husband does. But I have never been one for the greasy, deep-fried stuff that my American counterparts seem to love.
I blame it on my mom who raised me as a health-nut.
I was even a vegetarian when I worked at a summer camp on a ranch. Don't even ask how I managed that.
But. I love these.
Back to the beignets.
I found these babies on Pinterest (I actually have a Lousisana/French cuisine cookbook with the same recipe, but I was too lazy to dig it out), so props go to Chocolate, Chocolate and More.
Let me tell you, beignets sound scary, but they're super easy to make.
Yes, they have to rise like every other yeast-based dough, but it's a one-hour rise time and then it's straight to cooking and they cook up crazy fast.
Also, you can tweak the recipe as needed and they stay pretty much the same.
So without further ado,
Buttermilk Beignets
(Adapted from Chocolate, Chocolate and More's recipe for Buttermilk Beignets)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 4-5 cups bread flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Oil for frying
- Powdered sugar
Directions
- Heat milk in a small saucepan until just warm. Remove from heat. In a large mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, yeast, sugar, and milk. Stir to combine. Let the mixture rest for about five minutes or until the yeast mixture begins to foam.
- Add in 4 cups of bread flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. With a dough hook, mix on low until all the ingredients are combined (about 3-5 minutes). Switch speed to medium and knead the mixture until the dough begins to pull away from the sides. Add bread flour by 1/4 cup as needed. The dough should still be sticky.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for an hour.
- In a fryer or large pan, pour in about 3 inches of oil and preheat oil to 375 degrees over medium heat. Line a draining rack or plate with paper towels and set to the side.
- Turn out dough onto a floured surface and roll out dough into a square and then fold it over itself a few times. Roll it out again to about 1/2 inch thickness. Folding the dough will help create air pockets and make the beignets fluffy.
- Cut the dough into 1 1/2 inch squares (I never measure my squares, but I like them about the size of my palm). Gentle stretch your squares and then drop them into the hot oil.
- Let fry for about a minute on each side until golden brown, then remove them to a plate and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.
- Repeat with remaining squares and enjoy!
If you like this recipe, feel free to check out some more of my recipes!
Photos taken with iPhone4 and edited with iPhoto.
All images owned by Butcher, Baker, and the Homemaker.
No comments:
Post a Comment